Pubdate: Fri, 04 Apr 2003 Source: Dallas Morning News (TX) Copyright: 2003 The Dallas Morning News Contact: http://www.dallasnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117 Author: Kim Breen, The Dallas Morning News Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) CELINA SCHOOLS TO START DRUG-TESTING ATHLETES District Will Be One Of A Few In The Area To Administer Checks Coach Bill Elliott has been known to cruise Celina on weekend nights, searching for field parties and high school athletes who might be straying from the rules. Few go unnoticed. "This is a small town, a small community," said Mr. Elliott, who oversees boys' athletics at Celina High School. The athletic code prohibits profanity and sets a midnight curfew. Boys can't wear earrings. Their hair must be short. All athletes must get good grades. And starting in the fall, all athletes in grades seven through 12 will be required to get tested for drugs. "We felt like we wanted to take a stand against drugs," said school district athletic director Butch Ford, whose department has kicked around the idea of mandatory drug testing for years. The Celina school board approved the plan at its last meeting in March. Celina will become one of a few school districts in the Dallas area that drug-test students enrolled in sports. Several area districts, including Plano, McKinney, Irving, Garland, Coppell, Carrollton-Farmers Branch, Richardson and Arlington, don't administer random or mandatory drug tests. A few do, including Mesquite and Rockwall. While Celina's policy will start with students who compete in athletics, the measure might be expanded to students involved in all extracurricular activities, said school board president Keith Scott. "Celina is doing all we can to hold on to the old, traditional values of small town - church, school, community and so forth," Mr. Scott said. "We're doing all we can to keep our hands around that." Coaches said the greatest benefit will be that students will have an excuse to say no to drugs. They can blame the test. Even though Celina might be a small town, it's getting bigger. Influences of not-so-small towns are creeping in, Mr. Ford said. While all communities have their share of drug problems, students in Celina are exposed to more these days, Mr. Elliott said. "We're getting a lot of kids moving in from Plano, Frisco," he said. Mr. Scott said no incident led to the decision. "There's a difference between a concern and a problem," he said. "It's not being implemented because there's some secret problem. It's being implemented because drugs are so prevalent now." Supreme Court The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that drug testing for students who take part in athletics is constitutional. In June, it extended that ruling to include students in extracurricular activities. Celina athletes will be tested at the beginning of the school year. In the months that follow, 10 percent will be selected randomly to be tested again. The district will pay Ron Bolton, who owns Ron's 24-hour Mobile Drug and Alcohol Testing, $15 for each test. Mr. Ford estimated the cost next year to be about $10,000. Students who are found to be on drugs will go through drug education, and those who are repeat offenders face suspension from participation in extracurricular activities. Mr. Bolton, who has been in the business of administering drug tests since 1996, said he works with about a dozen school districts in Collin, Grayson and Hunt counties, including Princeton, Farmersville, Van Alstyne, Tom Bean, Bland and Blue Ridge. He doesn't advertise and picks up much of his business with schools through word-of-mouth, which is how Mr. Ford found him. No records Eddie Joseph, executive director of the Texas High School Coaches' Association, said no one keeps track of which districts drug-test students. He said school boards often adopt the policy then discontinue it when few students are found to be on drugs. "I think the biggest problem we have in athletics are steroids more than recreational drugs," he said. "I think you can test athletes all you want, but I think they're probably less susceptible to be using drugs" than the average student. Mr. Bolton said most schools do not elect to regularly test for steroids but instead test for 10 recreational drugs including cocaine and marijuana. The steroid test is more expensive. Mr. Ford said recreational drug use was the reason for testing in Celina. The Supreme Court ruling sparked controversy throughout the country, especially among privacy advocates. In Celina, where sports - especially football - are key, no one has spoken against the decision, said Mr. Scott, the school board president. "I think they'll strongly support it because I think it serves as a tool to retain traditional values," he said. Student support Several student athletes in Celina said they support the decision. "It doesn't bother me at all. I know I'm clean," said basketball and track athlete Andrea Franklin, 16. Teammate Lauren Fleming, 16, said drugs are easy to find. "It's high school," she said. But known drug users on sports teams are harder to come by. The only students who would be upset by the decision are probably the ones on drugs, the girls said. "When it comes down to it, it might scare them out of doing it," Lauren said. Football players Andy May and Jacob Martin, both 17, said the decision is a natural extension of the philosophy among coaches. "They don't want people to ruin their lives," Jacob said. Andy said Mr. Ford has made it clear that he has never taken a drink in his life. Mr. Ford acknowledged that wasn't quite true. "I tried to swallow champagne one time, but I thought it tasted like gasoline," he said. Mr. Ford said he believes in practicing what he preaches. Andy's mother, Kimberly May, said the district's coaches have acted as father figures to each of her three sons. "They fear their coaches more than they fear me," she said. Athletes who get busted at beer parties, for example, are forced to put in 20 miles of running before participating again. "In Celina, the coaches sit on them pretty good," Ms. May said. She said she is seeing the influx of newcomers to the city and believes the testing is a good way to "stop a problem before it starts." But Ms. May doesn't think the athletes are the students who need to be singled out for testing. "The majority of the students in this area that are into drugs are not the athletes," she said. . Celina has about 350 athletes in grades seven through 12. They will be tested at the beginning of the next school year for the presence of alcohol and drugs. . Random testing will be done throughout the school year. Students who are suspected of using drugs may be tested again. . Parental consent for testing will be required for participation in the athletic program. . First offense: The student will meet with the athletic director, the drug testing administrator and boys' or girls' coordinator. The student will be required to complete a drug education program. He or she can practice but can't compete until requirements are fulfilled. Must pass drug test. . Second offense: Besides the above requirements, the student will be suspended from the team for 30 days and must pass a test before playing. . Third offense: Above requirements plus suspension from the team for 90 days. Staff writers Eric Aasen, Herb Booth, Kristen Holland, Kristine Hughes, Bill Lodge, Jeff Mosier, Lori Price and Toya Lynn Stewart contributed to this report. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom